Cabinets for use in cleaning workpieces of paint, corrosion and other foreign debris have been available for many years. One type of cabinet used in these operations is a so-called blasting cabinet, in which an abrasive, e.g., sand, glass, and the like, is accelerated to a high velocity with a compressed gas, and is directed against the surface of the workpiece.
Representative of many previous blasting cabinets is that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,564. This bench-top cabinet is constructed from several flat panels, which are assembled together in a roughly rectangular shape, e.g., by numerous rivets or welding. A canted window panel is provided. This and similar approaches to constructing the working chamber of the blasting cabinet greatly, and needlessly, increase the cost of the cabinet.
A product-finishing apparatus having roughly the shape of an egg standing on end is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,033. It appears that in this device a workpiece is transferred to the interior of the apparatus by way of a top door hinged to the lower chamber of the device. Apparently, abrasion of the window in this cabinet is significant, which necessitates the use of a supply roll of plastic in the top of the cabinet to permit ready replacement of the window.
Another recurring problem associated with blasting cabinets is the buildup of fine dust due to the fragmentation of blasting agent and release of dust particles from the workpiece. This dust reduces visibility within the chamber. One approach to separating the dust particles from recyclable blasting agent is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,632. This device, which has a spherical-shaped cabinet, creates a vacuum with an active air current in the base of the cabinet, which reportedly pulls the dust from the dead-air space of the cabinet. However, this post-abrasion approach to removing the dust would appear to leave a significant level of air-borne dust in the workspace of the cabinet, which has not migrated to the base of the cabinet. The ability of the user to view the workpiece therein would be substantially impaired.
Previously available blasting cabinets have been designed without great regard for the cost of manufacture. This inevitably results in a cost to the consumer that is for many users unacceptably high. Abrasion of the window commonly provided in the blasting cabinet and the buildup of airborne dust in the cabinet are also recurring problems in previous cabinets. Accordingly, there is a need for an abrasive blasting cabinet that can be assembled at relatively low cost from readily available materials. The cabinet should also reduce abrasion to the window of the cabinet and reduce dust levels therein so as to improve visibility.